Good article - thanks for posting.
I would add, IMHO, that Fox's contention that it plays it down the middle on its news coverage and reserves opinion to the opinion shows, is something of a fable. Listen to the asides of virtually any of the hosts and reporters, and there is a significant conservative slant. That's fine with me, but to suggest FNC plays it straight down the middle is simply not so, IMHO. It is as slanted to the right as the MSM is to the left.
Actually, Fox News is a little too liberal for my tastes.
I have to disagree, somewhat. Fox presents plenty of liberal commentators(such as Juan Williams, Elenor Clift, Ellis Henican, Susan Estrich etc.etc). The reason they may seem to slant to the right is because Fox gives the true loony left base a voice, and doesn't sugarcoat it like the old MSM and the NYT.
When the average American sees the true loony face of the democrat left, they are repulsed.
That's not to say there are not loons on the right, there are, but IMO, the loons on the left outnumber the loons on the right by a ratio of 10 to 1.
CRAP.
Even if it were true, they would still provide overall balance in the universe of media coverage.
Besides, other than telling the truth and playing by the rules, exactly what is "right wing bias?"
I think Fox has an obligation to look at what others are reporting and deliberately go out of its way to ask, "Should we be covering other stories? Other angles? Is this really news?" The answers are often surprising.
For ex., say for a moment that the Bush/TANG story was in fact true. What real difference would it have made? In "normal" circumstances, an objective and honest news network wouldn't have given that more than a throwaway line in some weekday newscast, and that would have been it. My point is, since bias is in part shaped by story SELECTION---not just "framing" stories or "slanting" them after they are selected---then Fox has to be vigilant to select "fair and balanced stories."
This shows up most recently in Iraq, where we ONLY hear (even from Fox, often) about the latest bomb, but not the 99% of the cities that are calm, where power is on, where people are going to school and work, and where the tiny seeds of liberty and democracy are taking root.
Tom Wolfe, the author, is often called conservative just because he doesn't rave like a liberal. Frankly, when I just listen to him speak, I think he just may be that rare artist who is willing to listen to conservative arguments.
Greta is certainly not a conservative. She got her big bucks suing tobacco--via her husband. No grubbing trial lawyer is a conservative. And how about Geraldo?
And it seems to me that liberals are treated MUCH more kindly on "conservative" opinion shows than conservatives were EVER treated on liberal shows. Think how Michelle Malkin was treated by that goon, that thug, that pugugly bogtrotting Chris Matthews.
But if there's a genuine conservative slant to Fox, which sometimes I doubt, then I think we've got a few slants coming to us after all these many years of All the News That's Fit to Forge. But I am thankful for Fox that there is a News Hour with Brit Hume. I have a crush on both him, and Neil Cavuto. Genuine Nice Guys.
". It is as slanted to the right as the MSM is to the left"
Naaahhh, they may be biased a little to the right but nothing near the leftward bias of the so-called main stream media.
Oh come on.
I am very watchful for bias of any type, but in the actual news reporting, it is straight without bias.
Most people simply can't discern the difference between reporting in the day and commentary during the day or in the evening.
Now, a couple years ago, I would say I thought at times the news reporting itself was slanted to the right. I don't see that anymore.
But boy, I do remember one report in 2000 about Bush's inauguration. My jaw dropped with how outrageously pro-Bush it was. It made disparaging comments toward Clinton and everything.
Today though, at least in my opinion, I don't see a bias in their straight reporting.
Are you kidding?
I've said many times that I'm looking forward to the day we have a conservative news channel. Fox doesn't begin to fill the bill for that.
Maybe now that Rush has an in at CNN, he can take over. He wouldn't even have to change the call letters, CNN. Conservative News Network. THAT would smoke the libs.
Got any examples?
As for myself, I've tried to document pro-conservative comments on Fox, but can't find many.
On the other hand, I think we as viewers had become so accustomed to GOP bashing on network news over the years that a channel (Fox) which plays it straight just SEEMS like they are slanting right.